Beef Recipes: How to Turn a Roast Into 7 Lean, Creative Dinners

Loaded with protein, lean beef is perfect for maintaining muscle mass. Here, we show you how to prep a week’s worth of meals.

by Adam Bible and Nina Combs

Travis Rathbone

Sunday

Cook Up a Nice Big Rump Roast

Season a 5-pound rump roast with salt/ pepper, then sear in a Dutch oven on the stove. Add beef broth and roast in a 325° oven till the internal temp is 145° (about 40 minutes). Simmer the roast juice in a pan with some soy sauce till it thickens. Serve roast with sauce, steamed broccoli, and brown rice or quinoa.

SMART MOVE: To save time, buy fresh broccoli florets (the freshest broccoli is purplish, with no brown spots) not a whole head. They’re a bit pricier, but—no chopping.

In a bowl, mix a can of chickpeas, chopped cucumbers and green onions, grape tomatoes, lemon juice, and instant couscous. Cube some beef, steam (our choice) or nuke it for 30 seconds, and add it to the bowl. Top with store-bought or homemade Greek tzatziki, a tangy, garlicky white sauce.

SMART MOVE: Make your own easy tzatziki: Add grated cucumber, garlic, and dill to a cup of Greek yogurt. Made right (i.e., with lots of garlic), it’s very potent—don’t eat it on a date night!

Just slice a section of beef (or shred it with two forks) and mix it with chipotle salsa and lime juice. Microwave for 30 seconds, then spoon onto warm corn or flour tortillas. Top with chopped red onions and tomatoes, a few slices of avocado, and fresh cilantro.

SMART MOVE: To check an avocado’s ripeness, pull the stem out—if it comes away easily and is green underneath, it’s ready to eat. If it’s brown, it’s seen better days.

Sauté sliced mushrooms, onions, peppers, and a little bit of garlic in a saucepan. Thin-slice some beef, sprinkle with salt/pepper, and add to the pan with a splash of beef broth or water; heat through. Brown a sprouted bun under the broiler, spoon the mixture inside, and top with provolone or mozzarella; broil again till cheese melts.

SMART MOVE: Slice mushrooms in an egg slicer! Just lay the cleaned ’shrooms (cut big ones in half first) in the slicer, turn it over above a bowl, and press—out shoot neat slices.

Sauté chopped garlic/onions in a saucepan, then add a can of chickpeas, grape tomatoes, chicken stock, lemon juice, and pinches of pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes; add chunks of chopped beef and fresh parsley leaves.

SMART MOVE: To make your own quick broth, buy a jar of Better Than Bouillon (betterthanbouillon.com). When added to water, this concentrated paste makes a savory stock that beats canned stocks or cubes any night.

Friday

Create a Fiery Burrito Bowl

Sauté some onions and peppers in olive oil. Douse slices of beef in the hot sauce of your choice and add it to a pan; heat for about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add chopped or grape tomatoes, canned black beans, canned or frozen corn, chopped lettuce, nuked leftover rice, and a squirt of lime juice.

SMART MOVE: When slicing beef, make sure to cut it against the grain—meaning, bisect the long lines of the muscle fibers with the knife. This makes cuts like rump/chuck more tender.

Beef and salad make a great combo when Asian flavors are added. Combine soy sauce, a little sugar, some lime juice, grapeseed oil, chopped jalapeño, minced ginger, garlic, and a dash of fish sauce*. Cut thin slices of beef, add it to the sauce, and mix it with a salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber. Top with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts, almonds, or walnuts.

*Secret ingredient!

SMART MOVE: Learn to flavor with fish sauce—a favorite of many top chefs, who use it to give everything from hamburgers to marinades to roasted veggies a savory umami flavor. This pungent sauce, made from the juice of salted/fermented fish, is powerful stuff, so use it sparingly till you know your comfort level.